As the fentanyl crisis continues to cut a swath through the country, a recent study shines a harsh light on the uneven impact it’s having across America. Lead researcher Thomas Wickizer from The Ohio State University College of Public Health urges that a precise surgical strike of resources should be directed at the hard-hit regions to quell the epidemic. The study, published in the Health Affairs Scholar via Ohio State University news, could shape the future of how we combat drug-related fatalities.
The data are grim, with over 70,800 lives claimed by fentanyl in 2022 alone. It’s not just about the deceased but the ripple effects, too. Economically, we’re looking at a staggering loss of up to $67 billion. Wickizer didn’t mince words, telling The Ohio State University news, “This is the worst manmade epidemic in U.S. history.” As for geography, places like Kentucky, West Virginia, New England, and Ohio are seeing the brunt of it, while states such as South Dakota, Wyoming, or Nebraska paint a different picture.
Numbers from the study provide a sobering perspective, with West Virginia hit especially hard, its mortality rate reaching 75 per 100,000 deaths. Contrast that with South Dakota’s significantly lower toll, which demonstrates the dramatic disparity across states. As Wickizer conveyed in the study, it’s not only a health crisis but a social and economic one…